


wild blue yonder

by Stellonia



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: ADHD Lup, Drabble Collection, F/M, Healthy Relationships, Letters, Mutual Pining, Non-Linear Narrative, barry and lup are both trans and they're both bi, barry is a gigantic nerd, the summary quote is from forever in bluejeans im sorry hfgh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-20 07:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10658253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stellonia/pseuds/Stellonia
Summary: And long as I can have you here with meI'd much rather beForever in blue jeans, babe[A collection of disconnected drabbles and oneshots.]





	1. into the deep end

**Author's Note:**

> hi i'm just a simple gay girl who loves blupjeans a lot. the first two chapters i've already posted to my tumblr. 
> 
> talk to me at @theadventurezoneoftruth !

There was no sudden declaration of love amidst a dangerous battle, as he so often imagined it would play out. Instead, there was Lup marching into his dorm, not even bothering to knock before plainly stating, “I’m into you, like, into you into you, and if I’ve been reading the mood right, you’re into me too. If I’m right, we might as well do something about that. And if I’m wrong, we’ll never speak of this again.”

And so they did something about that. 

He spent so much time wondering how he could ask her - something worthy of a woman like her, but down to earth and not overly cheesy. He asked out plenty of folks before her, he wasn’t a Casanova by any means, but he was competent enough. But none of his past romances made him feel like she did. 

He was in deep, deeper than he could have ever imagined, and every time he saw her he dug his own grave even deeper. Rest in peace Barry J. Bluejeans - Cause of death: Lup. 

Lup later told him she felt the same anxiety as she burst into his room. “I really didn’t wanna fuck it up, y’know? I made it simple, so there was less to mess up, and casual, so if you weren’t game I could act nonchalant. I was extremely _chalant._ ”

They were both nervous. If this broke bad, they’d be stuck together on a ship for who knows how long. So they took it slow, easing themselves into it. For a while they were “makeout buddies” - Lup threatened to end _whatever_ they were if Barry kept calling them that. He laughed, pulled her closer, and admitted he was still workshopping it. In between kisses they’d pitch other names, though neither can now remember any of them. They do both remember the tension between them, the unspoken agreement that “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” wasn’t up for discussion.

Physical intimacy was easy. They were both sex positive young adults who really really dug each other. If either one of them wanted to stop, the other would understand and they could remain friends. But when emotions are involved? It gets far trickier. They both wanted to make the leap, but their jobs were too important to be so reckless.

So like children learning how to swim, they resist the urge to cannonball straight in, and dipped their toes into the water.

Together, they swam towards the deep end.

“Do you want to, uh - want to officially do this? The going steady thing?” Barry asks tentatively, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked to nowhere in particular. She gave him a dorky smile and seemed to be stifling a laugh, which makes him pause.

“God Barold, first “makeout buddies” and now you’re saying going steady?” Her voice is warm and loving. “But yeah. And, the first thing I’ll do as your girlfriend is buy you a thesaurus.”


	2. i'm not sure i'm here for the right reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup tries to find the words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is based on the conversations rachel and griffin have on rose buddies, abt the modifiers used to say "i love you" on the show.

“I _am_ falling in love with you.”

She lets out a ‘bleh’ - the words feel unnatural and make her stomach twist. There are so many modifiers, but the sentence means nothing. Lup takes a deep breath and looks in the mirror once more.

“I’m in love with you.”

Better, but still wrong. It was too committal, a promise she couldn’t keep. 

“I want to be in love with you.”

She pauses. She knows this is a stupid thing to say to someone. Especially to a surprisingly sensitive young man in denim pants who she cares very much about. But as she thinks the sentence over, she realizes that somehow, without her noticing, it’s become true.

She giggles, then laughs, then guffaws. Her face is no longer scrunched up in worry and discomfort; instead, her reflection shows her smiling like a loon.

She _wants_ to be in love with him. The thought terrifies her as much as it thrills her. She isn’t in love yet, and she doesn’t know when she will. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next month, and maybe never. But she wants it. And for now, that’ll be enough.


	3. passing notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup writes a letter. Barry gets flustered. Magnus gives some advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this is silly. 
> 
> hmu at @theadventurezoneoftruth if you want to know how much i love lup and barry

Barry blushes, then buries his face in the letter.

“Uh, Barry? You okay?” Magnus asks.

“This is… childish. This is just silly,” he groans, and holds out the paper. “Look.”

_“Xoxo_  
_\- Lup ♡”_

Magnus does his best to restrain a laugh, and Barry puts his head in his hands.

“I’m in hell, Magnus,” He says grimly. “This is just like when Jared rejected my promposal, except I’ll be on a ship with her forever.”

“Um, she _is_ flirting with you. I don’t see the problem.”

“No, she’s being Lup! Is she joking? Is she serious? I dunno, but it’s probably the former!” Barry throws his arms in the air, and sighs. 

“I really think she’s been vibing you, dude,” he says. “Maybe flirt back in your response letter? We won’t be at the ship for at least two months. Worst case scenario, you’ll both just ignore it.”

“I’ll sleep on it. I’m uh, not really the best at flirting,” he admits. “Do you have any tips?”

Magnus gives a shrug. “Erm, give her a gift?”

He rereads the letter one last time, and tries not to think about it too much.

(He thinks about it too much.)  
-  
_“Dear Lup,_

__

_Holy shit, that sounds incredibly. How does a transmutation wizard even get a spell like that?_

__

_It’s good to hear that things are going well on your end. I wish I was there, the work you’re doing sounds very interesting._

__

_Magnus and I have had uneventful travels. We think we’ll find the Light of Creation in two weeks._

__

_I found this rock, and I thought you’d like it. I’ve enclosed it in the letter. I think it might have some magical properties, but I didn’t have much time to study it. It’s just, you’re hot and you like fire, and it kind of looks like it’s on fire. I hope you like it._

__

_Sincerely,  
Barry ♡”_

She holds the stone to her chest and rereads the final paragraph. She decides it does have some magical properties - it’s certainly making her feel enchanted.


	4. reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short drabble about how much barry(/i) love lup

Barry wonders if absence really makes the heart grow fonder. All it’s done is make his heart ache from her absence, and swell from her letters. 

When they are reunited, she immediately grabs him for a long kiss. He so often remembered the warmth of her body and the softness of her lips, but feeling them once again is entirely different.

Reluctantly, he pulls away, but still stays close. He looks at her face, studying it so he’ll never forget a single detail. Her beautiful brown skin and curly dark hair, her freckles and her mischievous smile. But most of all her eyes - brown and looking at him like he was something amazing.

“I missed you,” he says.

“Missed you too,” she agrees.


	5. alchemy like into wisdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been getting so much nice feedback and a way bigger response then i expected? thank you all so much! it's really fun writing them, i love them so much.

“Taako. Hermanito. I need advice,” Lup says. Taako laughs at her.

“Who kidnapped my sister and replaced her with you? The real Lup would _never_ admit she needed advice,” he says.

“Oh fuck off, I’m regretting this already.” She turns to exit, and he stops her.

“No, but seriously. What’s going on? What sage wisdom will I impart today?” He lounges on the sofa, and she sits with a smirk on her face. She casts Silence on Taako.

“Just so you don’t interrupt me. This shit is important,” she says. “So. Over the past few weeks, I’ve realized Barold’s ass looks awfully good in those blue jeans. Sue me! And there were only so many times I could think about his dorky smile and his laugh before I had to admit this was more than a cute butt. I don’t know where I should go from here, which is why I turn to you.”

She ends the spell, and Taako quickly says “Holy shit!”

“So, how about that sage wisdom?” She drawls. 

“It goes without saying that I’m questioning your taste in men--”

“Then why’d you say it?”

“You’re not the only one who can cast Silence, asshole.” Lup gets the hint and zips her lips. “But whatever. Chase your bliss. Get some of that milk fed beauty.”

“He’s lactose intolerant,” she interjects.

“Oh for the love of - you’re in deep,” he says. “Get that, uh - get that almond milk fed beauty. Steal his jean jacket. That’s fun and flirty.”

“Ooh, nice.”

“Try to read the mood ‘n stuff. Find the right moment and then put on the moves. Gentle teasing and all that body language shit. Oh, and one last thing?”

“Mhm?”

 

“Do me a favor and _never_ talk to me about Barry’s butt ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm pretty sure that isn't how the spell silence works but. just go with it.
> 
> also, i apparently have to sneak a rose buddies reference into half of my fics, because i love it that much.
> 
> i'm at @theadventurezoneoftruth ! come say hi!


	6. the bags under his denim eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry burns the midnight oil. Lup does some persuasion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also known as: this is the one where i used the descriptor "denim eyes."

Elves don’t need sleep. A few hours of meditation is enough to renew the mind and her spell slots. It’s pretty chill.

Humans, however, need to sleep.

It’s 4:30 AM when she finishes her meditation. She goes to the kitchen and finds Barry, brewing a cup of coffee and oblivious to her presence.

“Barry,” she says gently. He reacts with a start, and then gives a sheepish smile. She notices the bags under his denim eyes. “Did you stay up all night?”

“It’s four in the morning, it’s not _all_ night,” he says weakly.

“You’re avoiding the question, Barold,” she says knowingly. They’ve played this scene before: Barry gets caught up in his research, Lup teases him, he promises he’ll get some sleep soon.

“I’m really close to a breakthrough, Lup. I think the reason this reality is so similar too–” Before he can finish, he interrupts himself with a yawn.

“I’m sure it’s real interesting stuff, babe. Why don’t you tell me about it after you sleep?”

He groans. “Sleep is for the weak.”

“Oh shut up,” she smirks, then leans in closer to say, “am I gonna have to tempt you into bed?”

“I thought you wanted me to sleep,” he says. She punches his arm.

“I meant cuddling, horndog,” she says, all too proud. He laughs and grabs her arm, abandoning his coffee.

“Snuggling sounds good,” he admits, finally aware of how sleepy he’s become. He could finish his work in the morning.

-

Elves don’t need to sleep, but they can. His arms are around her, she feels safe. She decides she’ll sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has been brought to you by Chopped: the only show i watch while i write this.
> 
> as always, i appreciate the warm reception this is getting! i'm at @theadventurezoneoftruth if you want high quality denim shitposts


	7. perfect fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup sets the mood. Barry does some shrimpin'.

She slides the ring onto her finger. It’s an unfamiliar weight, which is a fitting metaphor for her emotional state right about now. She looks at her creation once more - a small orange stone he once gave her, a gold band she smelted herself. She takes it off and places it beside an identical ring. After all, she isn’t engaged _yet._

She grins, knowing she would be by the day's end.

They’d floated the idea before - like _hell_ she’d do such a vulnerable act without knowing he’d say yes. It still makes her anxious, she really doesn’t want to fuck this up.

So she’s keeping it simple. A romantic candlelit dinner, stargazing, and then the sappy stuff. Lup double checks that she’s packed the rings, and sets out to the kitchen.

“Barry!” She yells as she gathers the ingredients. “C’mere!”

He enters the room with a confused look, and she quickly puts a bright blue apron him.

“You’re gonna be my sous chef,” she says. “I already got the mise en place, so wash your hands and we’ll get cooking.”

“What’s for dinner?” He asks, and she gestures towards the ingredients.

“Take a guess.”

Lemons, angel hair pasta, some herbs he doesn’t recognize, cloves of garlic, shrimp, and three bottles of white wine.

“Shrimp and pasta with a nice pinot grigio” He says, and she ponders his response.

“Mhm, close. The shrimp is gonna be cooked in the wine. But” she adds with a smile. “We can drink while we cook. Gotta make sure it’s good, right?”

“Of course,” he agrees. She pours them both a glass, and takes a big gulp. She’ll need some extra courage.

“Juice and zest some of those lemons,” she instructs. She liberally salts the water, and uses some of her magics to bring it to a boil. They work in a comfortable silence until she hears his soft voice.

_“Smell those shrimp, they're beginnin' to boil,”_ he sings. His voice is low and soft, unlike her own.

_“Wasted away again in Margaritaville,”_ she belts, using a wooden spoon as a stand in microphone.

_“Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt._  
_Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,  
But I know it's nobody's fault. _

_Don't know the reason,_  
_Stayed here all season_  
_With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo._  
_But it's a real beauty,_  
_A Mexican cutie, how it got here_  
_I haven't a--”_

____

“Holy shit, is Margaritavile our song?” He interrupts. She laughs as she plates their meal.

__

“I mean, fuck yeah,” she says. “And they say romance is dead!”

__

“Who says that?”

__

“Uh, _they_ do,” she deadpans. She elegantly casts Continual Flame to light the candles. “And they, my dear Barold, are wrong.”

__

“This is some classy stuff,” he says. “Is there a special occasion I’m forgetting? Because our anniversary isn’t for a month.” 

__

She bluffs. “You’re a special occasion.” She gives him a kiss and hopes he doesn’t suspect.

__

“That’s really sweet,” he says.

__

“Mhhm. You know what else is sweet?” She asks. “This bomb ass meal. Let’s get eating.”

__

 

__

It’s great, of course it is. They cooked it together. And any good chef knows that Fantasy Jimmy Buffett is the best secret ingredient. 

__

-  
The sky of this planet is a constant aurora that bathes them in a gentle glow. They spent weeks studying the weather patterns of this planet together, and many nights under the stars for purely scientific reasons. But this is for pleasure, not work.

__

She runs her fingers on the smooth stone, calming her enough to stop thinking and start doing. She stands, hand in hand with Barry.

__

She gets down on one knee, and instantly he knows. Seeing his eyes glimmering and his dorky smile leaves her speechless. “Shit, I really should have written this ahead of time.”

__

“We-we’ve been through a lot together. And uh, I really didn’t expect ay of this, but I really love you. I feel comfort and warmth with you, you mean so much to me in a way no one else has. So,”She says, opening the jewelry box. “Will you be my nerd forever and marry me?”

__

“Yes,” he says, fighting off tears. She puts the ring on his finger, and puts her own on as well. They’re a perfect fit.

__

They kiss, and ever after all these years, it still excites her. She hold her fiancé closer - _her_ fiancé, her _fiancé._

__

She is engaged, and she is happy.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! a few notes abt this:  
> i'm hoping to make the next few drabbles chronological, and centered around weddings and shit. if you follow my tumblr, you've seen the copious amount of denim wedding items that exist, so that'll be a ride.
> 
> while writing these fics, i exclusively watch chopped in the background. the episode during the cooking segment where they sing jimmy buffet featured a chef that is james buffett own private chef. he won.
> 
> as always, you can find me at @theadventurezoneoftruth ! thank you for reading!


	8. its the thought that counts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Barry plan a wedding. Merle tries to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how about that new episode tho,

Lup never expected to be into wedding planning. She always wanted a cheap wedding and an expensive honeymoon, a cake from her brother and some nice booze.

But there’s not much about any of this that she expected.

It keeps her distracted. The Hunger was getting stronger and they were still clueless, tensions were rising and their chances of success looked bleak. They’d focus on anything positive they could get.

“Can we have Margaritaville for our first dance?” Barry asks, searching through their closet for any denim.

“Hell yeah!” She shouts, “that’ll be sick!”

She opens her notebook to jot down a note, and recoils when she reads an old note.

“Oh shit,” she mutters. Earning a look of concern from him, she explains. “I - Merle wants to do the decorations.”

“Fuck.”

“I - I can’t just tell him no anymore! He’s my shitty grandpa now!” Lup says. ”So I panicked and I told him I’d need to ask you first. You’ve gotta bail us out of this-”

“He’s my shitty grandpa too! He’s gonna give me those eyes - you know, those eyes. I can’t do it Lup!” He sighs. “What if he takes it personally and doesn’t come? Then we wouldn’t have an officiant!”

“We’re in space, it’s not like it’s legally binding.”

“I mean, yeah, I guess so, but - but that’s against the point! Not having one of seven crewmates there? That’s a bad look,” he says. “And he always looks so proud of his gifts, they’re from a genuine place of-”

“True, but they also _fucking suck!_ ” She waves her arms to emphasize the point.

“They - yeah, they fucking suck,” He agrees. “Maybe, uh, let’s just take away his creative freedom? Have him bedazzle some jeans?”

“I don’t trust him - he’ll probably hurt himself with the bedazzler. “

“Beauty is pain,” he says with a grin.

“Fuck it, we’re not getting married until the next cycle, let him do his extreme arts and crafts!” She says. “I brought this upon my own damn self, this is my burden to bear.”

-

An excerpt from Lucretia’s journal -

_Merle suffered his 32nd death on this cycle. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month, he left the ship to explore the forest. He had been making decorations for Barry and Lup’s upcoming wedding, and in the process had gotten rhinestones in his beard. This attracted a Dawnsnare (see page 41 for more information) - that attacked him. A group meeting was held shortly after, and a we voted that Merle cannot use the bedazzler anymore. The vote was five to one, with Captain Davenport being the only one not to vote in favor._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cause of death: bedazzler.
> 
> thank you for reading! i'm at @theadventurezoneoftruth on tumblr.
> 
> also, if you like blupjeans: consider joining the blupjeans discord! i'm cremechantilly there, come say hi! https://discord.gg/Zx66cCj


	9. 'cause it's true, i do, i do, i do, i do, i do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup has writers block.

She glares at the blank sheet of paper, as if the right words would magically appear. Pre-written vows felt so fake to her - that was the entire reason she wanted to write her own - yet nothing she wrote turned out right.

Barry told her not to stress, that he’d love anything she came up with. She knows that’s true, and that’s precisely why she has to nail this. He loves her for who she is, so openly and honestly, unconditional support. She loves him too, she loves him more than she thought she could ever love someone. So much, one might say words could not describe it.

Inspired by her own thoughts, she quickly writes something down.

“Words cannot describe my love for you, but I’ll do my best.”

She crosses it out, it sounded better in her head. She’s written plenty of love letters full of her sappiest thoughts, she’s waxed poetic to anybody who would listen. So why was she having so much trouble?

Another idea - she rushes to their room and towards a familiar dresser. It was rustic if she was being generous, and a piece of crap if she wasn’t. Magnus made it when they moved in together a few decades ago, a thoughtful gift with thoughtless execution. It’s ironic that such prized possession were kept inside of it.

Every single letter they’ve exchanged, save for a few lost in delivery, haphazardly collected within. She picks one at random and begins to read.

 

“To my beloved Lup,                                                                                                          

40/4/17

I hope you’ve had safe travels. Everything is fine here at the ship. Merle has been sending me all sorts of cool samples to analyze - I’m still not done with my testing, but they definitely have healing properties. They’re a bit inconsistent, but I could say the same for Merle.

Every cycle I think I couldn’t possibly miss you more, yet every time I prove myself wrong. It’s the kind of ache you only experience when you’d known pure happiness. But I’m not so in love as to be naive. We have important work to do, the fate of entire universes on our shoulders.

Still, I like to imagine a time where we don’t. The Hunger defeated, our home world safe, our mission complete. We’d have a house of our own, close to the rest of the crew but still  _ ours,  _ with enough room for a family. I’d wake up late on a lazy morning, with no work to do and no danger looming, and you’d be smiling in bed beside me. A perfect image of domestic bliss.

That’s what I always had hoped for, before I joined the IPRE and before I met you, when this theoretical partner sharing my bed was just a shadowy figure. It’s a lame aspiration, now that I’m writing it down. But I spent so much time struggling to find who I was and where I fit in - a future where I was safe and happy? That possibility meant everything to me.

That’s not the story we’re in - if we are lucky it will be our epilogue. 

But as for reality, there’s no one else I’d rather share this journey with. I can almost hear you telling me that was a line, laughing and saying I was a sap. True on all accounts, it’s a cheesy sentiment, but I mean every word of it.

You inspire me to keep fighting, during the bleakest times you keep me going. You give me the strength to be brave, the courage to risk it all. You’re everything I could ever hope for an more, and if I’m enough to make you happy, I must be doing something right.

If I have to face the apocalypse to be with you, then I will.

Forever yours,

\- Barry ♥”

 

She reads it again, savoring the warmth in her chest. There’s something special about his letters, the way he speaks about her. All these bold declarations coming from a man who’s afraid of the dark. She believes every word.

She writes a letter of her own. 

“To my Barold,                                                                                                                 

62/3/9

I’ve been doing some soul searching, and have come to a realization. You know all my worries about writing vows? They’re your fucking fault! You’re too good at this, the bar is set too high.

I mean, I’m joking, but I do think that’s the root of the problem. It’s not only the fear of disappointing you, but also a competitive streak. I can be just as romantic as you!

Guarding the ship is dull and I miss you like hell. I’ve been rereading our old letters, partially for inspiration and partially to ease the ache from your absence, and I’ve found some gems. 

“You look good in those jeans, they bring out your denim blue eyes,” - myself, Cycle 19. I have no memory of writing this, so I think some demon possessed me to write that cursed sentence. The demon wasn’t wrong, you do look fantastic in denim. 

“Taako and I got lucky, we found a village who is letting us stay […] romance is a big cultural thing, and someone asked me if I was in love. Taako answered for me and said I was. I was too tongue tied to answer - I wasn’t really sure! I mean, I really really really really really like you a lot, but it hasn’t even been a year and we’ve both been busy and I don’t wanna come on too strong? I don’t wanna freak you out, if you’re uncomfy with The Big L Word that’s totally reasonable. So yeah, I think I’m in love with you, if you aren’t that’s fine.” I wasn’t ready to say the Big L Word, but it still was a big fucking deal to me that you did. 

I’ve procrastinated by being productive - along with rereading the letters I’m reorganizing them, in order to avoid doing the vows. I’m not so stressed about it anymore, I know you’ll like them. And if I’m enough to make you happy, then I must be doing something right.

Your Hunk of Burnin Love,

\- Lup ♥”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i project a lot onto lup, my adhd, my love for barry bluejeans, and right now? my writers block hnjfgh.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed! i'm at @theadventurezoneoftruth on tumblr, come say hi!


End file.
